Issue link: http://tcnj.uberflip.com/i/1532430
9 Prairie WINTER 2025 "It's very, very creative what this guy comes up with," says Weiss. "And it definitely brings us all together because he does it all with us. He's not a coach who's like, 'Do this, do that.' He's right there doing the workout with us." The method to his madness, Blevins says, is to build camaraderie — and serious core strength — so the divers challenge themselves. "It's so much more fun to try the hard stuff that you're afraid of if you have that kind of support system," he says. Growing the team's success is one piece of Blevins' mission to spread the gospel of the sport. In 2018, he founded the Jersey Diving Academy, whose lessons and competitive club team draws young divers from across South Jersey. Beth Evaldi '26 first met Blevins when she joined the JDA club team during high school; the attention he paid not only to divers' abilities, but also to their fears, was part of the reason she chose to go to TCNJ. "It's very hard when you have a more intense coach," she says. "If I'm struggling to get a dive off, Coach Blevins will come talk to me after- wards. And the first thing he says is, 'So what's going on in your head? Talk to me.' Other coaches just expect you to go do it and don't really focus on that aspect." Throughout practice, the divers use Blevins' voice as a beacon, asking him to call out when they're midair to signal when to spring up and out of a tuck. They trust him not only because he is their coach, but because he's also a competitive diver. Since 2015, Blevins has competed in five World Aquatics Masters Championships, winning two gold medals along the way. He will travel to his sixth competition in Singapore this spring with hopes of getting "back on the podium." Blevins understands that serendipity — the backflips on the quad, the suggestion to check out the dive team — led him to the sport that became central to his life. So, he continues to welcome beginners to his teams, hoping they might find their lives changed for the better, too. Josh Bouchard '27 had never touched a diving board before he joined TCNJ's team last fall. Blevins patiently helped him build his skills. Now, Bouchard is astonished to find himself doing reverse dives off the 10-foot board. "He makes everything feel like it's possible," he says. "Sometimes you smack the water, but you trust him. So that's why you trust yourself." — Liz Leyden Facing page: Blevins hypes up his TCNJ team. Above: Divers Wyatt Marble '26 and Hannah Simons '28 MICHELLE GUSTAFSON